Bluebonnets

Most people call it Texas Hill Country, and to be fair, that is a perfect name for it. Low, rolling hills pucntuate the landscape in the southwestern part of Texas, and the landscape transitions from pasture to pristine in a heartbeat. Hill Country is known for quite a few things, but during the spring, the bluebonnets arrive in force, so it might as well be Bluebonnet Country.

I’ve long had a passion for bluebonnets, and an equally long, if not longer, interest with railroads. Combining these two is certainly going to capture my attention, and this small location just at the edge of Hill Country is one of my favorites. There we find an abandoned rail line which the bluebonnets have also found. I should, perhaps, refer to it as disused, since technically it not abandoned. In fact, the rail line here is on the National Register of historic places. It’s just that no one actually uses the rails anymore.

Except the bluebonnets, of course. They use it a lot.

The rail line eventually leads to Austin, Texas. If we were to stand in the middle of it, and look south, we would see something like Austin Bound. The rails, leading off to a bend just ahead, are covered in bluebonnets, making for a striking scene. Photographed in the early morning, it was quiet, tranquil and serene, shared only by a few passing rabbits, a stray deer, and of course myself.

Flower Rails, on the other hand, is anything but tranquil and quiet. The sunset roared to life this particular morning, and it swept into the day with a vengeance. The sun tore through the low-lying clouds at just the right moment, lighting up the trees and a distant trestle. The lines of color leading into the bridge really caught my eye.

Actually, that trestle held my attention for days. As much as I adore Flower Rails, I also like the last photograph, Bluebonnet Trestle.

Where Flower Rails truly makes a statement, Bluebonnet Trestle is a different counterpoint and mood, bringing us back to a tranquil and warming image.

It’s hard to say which of these three I like best. They all well represent Bluebonnet Country, and they all have a different mood and feel. I’ll end up taking the easy way out and simply saying that I like them all.